Florida State football had their recent road loss to North Carolina State this past Friday. The mood of the program has not been the greatest, since it was announced that head football coach Mike Norvell would be returning in 2026.
This is not an opportunity for myself to express whether Norvell needs to still be employed with the Seminoles. The decision has already been made by the administration, and fans have to lie with the decision that was finalized.
Florida State sits with a 5-6 record on the year, and have an arch-rival matchup with the Florida Gators coming up this Saturday. This will be the contest to get them to bowl eligibility. While excitement isn't shining through this game, it is still a big game in retrospect.
Coach Norvell met with the media on Monday afternoon, where he mentioned that Florida State football is "very, very close". I have mentioned before in a previous article that I don't believe in moral victories of losing close at Florida State. This is a program that expected to compete for conference and national championships.
However, with that said, this is a squad that cannot seem to get out of their own way. For example, the offense does a good job moving the football between the 20s, but when it gets in the red zone, it seems to panic. As for the defense, they allow teams to have double-digit play drives for opposing teams to gain confidence in themselves.
The results in the game have been very close, but very close isn't good enough for Florida State. Adversity has struck the program and this is a situation where Norvell and company have to respond. It feels like we have said it too much in his tenure.